Upper-forming machine.



M. BROOK.

UPPER FDRMING MACHINE.

APPLICATIOIN FILED DEC. 11.1911.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- M. BROCK.

UPPER FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATHIN EILED 02c. 11.1911.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETSS|HEET 2.

wi h

Fig.4;

MWESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINGTDN. n. c.

"U TE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATTHIAS BROOK, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed December 11, 1911.

machine for shaping or molding the heel end of a stitch-down shoe upper and forming thereon an outturned sole attaching flange.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for the purpose aforementioned, which will be simple and compact in construction and yet efiicient in operation, and which can be built at a cost which will warrant its use in the manufacture of very low priced shoes as well as in making the better grades of shoes.

According to the present preferred method of making the better grades of stitch-down shoes, both the toe end and the heel end of the upper are molded to substantially their final shape and the sole attaching flange is formed upon these parts of the upper before the upper is placed upon a last. In making the cheaper grades of stitch-down shoes, in which no toe stiffener is used, only the heel end of the upper together with the counter is molded. It will be observed that this molding operation consists essentially of two parts, shaping the upper to fit the foot and forming the outturnedflange. The shaping of the heel end of the upper to'fit the foot iscomparatively easy, being effected usually by the simple co-action of a male mold and a female mold. It is only when it comes to forming the outturned flange that difliculty is met.

It is desirable that the outturned flange at the heel end of the shoe be formed both upon the upper and upon the counter. The counter, however, being relatively thick and stiff, even when tempered, obviously presents one of the principal difiiculties to be overcome in forming the flange.

A further object of this invention, therefore, is to provide improved fianging mechanism which not only will facilitate the for- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Serial No. 665,019.

mation of a sole attaching flange upon the upper at the heel end, but will particularly facilitate the formation of such a flange upon the counter. The improved mechanism will preferably includemeans for slitting or forming cuts in those portions of the counter or of the upper which offer the greatest resistance to the flange forming operatlon.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for insuring that the shaped parts shall set to shape before they are removed from the machine, the operation of this means preferably including the application of heat to the parts while under pressure. 7

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a perspective View of my in vention embodied in a preferred form in a machine which can be manually operated; Fig. 2 is a perspective detail showing the construction of the improved flange former which constitutes one of the principal features of the invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective detail showing a completed flange, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the machine adapted to be operated by power.

The machine shown in Fig. 1 comprises a frame 2 which may be attached to a bench and which has at its forward end a recess 4 adapted to receive female heel shaping molds 6 of diflerent sizes, this recesshaving a lateral groove 8 into which a lateral riblO upon the female mold fits. The male mold 12 which cooperates with the female mold in shaping the heel end of the upper to fit the heel end of the foot is mounted upon a block 14 carried by a slide 16 dove-tailed into the lower wall of the recess 4:, the block 14: being preferably high enough, and the recess 1 being preferably deep enough, so that the upper may be accommodated when molded bottom side up.

In the operation of the machine the upper will preferably be placed over the male mold and then the male mold will be moved into cooperative relation to the female mold by means comprising a link 18 pivoted between ears 20 upon the lower side of the slide 16, said link being pivotally connected at its forward end to one arm 22 of a bell-crank lever fulcrumed at 24 between ears 26 depending from the frame 2. The other arm 28 of the bell-crank lever is connected by an adjustable link 30 to a treadle 32 fulcrumed upon a block 34 which may be attached to the floor. In order to lock the molds in cooperative relation to each other the lever '32 has attached thereto a tooth 36 which is arranged to engage one of the teeth 38 of a ratchet plate 40 which may also be attached to the floor. A spring 31 is provided to return the parts to normal position when the lock is released. 7

The flange forming operation, as in machines of this general type hitherto in use, preferably takes place while the upper is held in the molding means, and to this end the illustrated flange former is so located that it may be brought into operative position after the molds have been brought into operative relation to each other and that it will be out of the way when placing the upper, bottom side up, in position to be operated upon by the molding means.

The illustrated flange former is collapsible and comprisestwo members or wipers 42 and 44 pivoted near their rear ends at 46 to the under side of the flange former carrier 48, the flange former being maintained yieldingly in its collapsed condition by a spring 50 connecting forwardly extending pins 52 and 54 upon the respective members 42 and 44. The flange former carrier is provided at its rear end with a relatively long slot 56 which receives a pivot pin 58 upon the frame 2, upon which pin the carrier 48 both slides and turns, being guided in its sliding movement between upstanding portions 60 of the frame 2. A downwardly extending arm 62 of the carrier 48 makes of said carrier a bell-crank lever turning about the pivot pin 58 whereby said carrier may be turned about said pivot pin to lift'the flange former out of operative position or to lower it into operative position, the former being so located that when it is lowered into operative position it will be located within the projecting margin of the upper confined between the molds.

In order to maintain the carrier in such position. that the flange former will be located within the projecting margin of the upper when it is lowered into operative position, a spring 64 is provided which bears at one end against a stud 66 upon the carrier 48 and atits other end against a stud 68 upon a plate 7 0 connecting the upstanding portions 60 of the frame 2, a rod 72 being located within said spring and being connected at one end to the stud 66 and sliding loosely through an opening in the stud 68. The spring 64 obviouslytends to maintain the carrier 48 at the forward limit of its movement, with the rear end of the slot'56 in engagement with the piv0t'pin58.

The carrier. 48 is normally maintained yieldingly in its uppermost position, in which it holds the flange former out of operative position and out of the way of the operator when placing the work in the machine, by means of a spring 7 4 which operates through a tr-eadle rod 7 6 to maintain in broken condition a toggle comprising a link 7 8 pivoted at one end at 80 between ears formed upon the depending arm 62 of the frame 48 and at its other end being pivotally connected at 82 to the other togglelink 84, which is itself pivoted at '86 upon the frame 2. The treadle rod 76 is connected to a second treadle 88, by which the toggle 78, 84 may be straightened to lowerthe flange former into operative position, the continued-straightening movement of the toggle serving to move the carrier 48 longitudinally to cause the flange formerto turn the projecting margin of the upper out upon the female mold to form the flange.

As the flange former is lowered into operative position over the male mold 12, a stud or roll 90 upon the upper face of said male mold enters a recess formed between the curved inner edges of the members or wipers 42 and 44 of the flange former, see Fig. 2, and projects also into. a guiding groove 92 formed in the under side of the carrier 48. As the flange former is moved longitudinally by the'straightening movement of the toggle 78, 84, the inner edges of the members or'wipers 42 44 will engage the stud or roll 90, these edges being curved toward each. other at their forward ends, and the members will be caused to separate, thus turning or wiping the sides of the projecting margin of the upper out upon the female mold. If desired, the roll 90 maybe made in. two parts, one above the other, one of which will engage the member 42 and the other the member 44. V r

. At the end of the flange turning movement of the flange former, the beveled clownwardly projecting flange 94 upon the flange former will lie over the correspondingly beveled upwardly projecting flange upon the female mold. and the final straightening movement of the toggle will cause the car rier 48 to be depressed still further, so that the outturned margin of the upper will be bent back out of the plane in which it will lie in the finished shoe to the side of this plane opposite to that toward which it tends to turn owing to the tension in the material. By overturning the flange in-this manner it is more apt to keep its desired shape in the finished shoe.

If difliculty is experienced in turning out the counter or in molding it so that it will maintain its outturned form, it is sometimes advantageous to form slits or cuts in the under face ofthe outturned margin of the counter so as to overcome some ofits reillustrated means comprises a vertically reciprocating knife carrier 96 arranged to slide upon a stud 98 confined between an overhanging part 100 of the carrier 48 and the part to which the flange former is attached, the knife carrier being maintained yieldinglv in its uppermost position by a spring 102. -The illustrated knife carrier has three arms upon each of which is carried a downwardly extending knife 104, there being a knife to slit the margin of the counter at about the middle of the rear end and a knife to slit it in the curved portion upon each side. The lateral knives are guided between lugs upon the carrier 48 and in grooves 106 in the members 42 and 44, the knives being flexible enough to permit a slight twisting during the flange forming operation. The twisting of the blade causes it to make an inclined out which is preferable to a vertical cut.

The knife carrier preferably has movement enough so that the knives may be lowered to cut clear through the counter and even into the under side of the margin of the outturned upper, but means is also preferably provided for positively determining the lower limit of this movement, this means being adjustable so that the knife carrier may be adjusted, if desired, to cause the knives to cut only part way through the counter. The illustrated means for effecting the operative movement of the knife carrier comprises a toggle made up of a link 107 pivotally connected to said carrier at one end, and pivotally connected at its other end to a second link 108 which is extended beyond its pivotal connection 110 with the overhanging portion 100 of the frame 48 to form a handle 112 located near the handle 114 which is formed upon the upper end of said overhanging portion 100. The straightening movement of the toggle, and therefore the downward movement of the knives, is limited by a screw stud 115. The handle 114 is adapted to be grasped by the operator in lowering the carrier 48 by hand or in controlling its movement when it is being lowered by means of the treadle and toggle mechanism hereinabove described.

As hereinabove suggested, means is preferably provided for applying heat to the molded parts while under pressure. The illustrated means comprises an electrical heating element 116 located within a recess in the male =mold 12 and a second electrical heating element 118 located in a pocket 120 provided therefor on the carrier 48, the

heating elements, as shown, being merely inserted in the spaces provided for them whereby either or both may be removed.

The illustrated machine adapted tobe operated by power comprises, besides the ele- I ments of the machine shown in Fig. 1, a standard 122 in which is journaled a driving shaft 124 from which the various parts are driven, this shaft being itself driven by a belt 126 passing over a pulley 128 upon the shaft and itself connected with any suitable source of power. Mounted upon the shaft 124 are cams for operating the different parts in proper time relation to each other, the male mold 12 being moved into position to cooperate with the female mold 6 by connections to a. cam 130 comprising a lever 132 fulcrumed at 134 in the standard 122 and connected at'its upper end to the link 18, said lever carrying a cam roll 136 engaging the cam 130. The toggle 78, 84, is straightened to bringthe flange former down into operative relation to the molding means by means comprising a. cam groove 138 into which projects a cam roll 140 upon a lever 142 fulcrumed at one end in the standard 122 and connected at its other end to a link 144 which is pivotally connected to the toggle 78, 84 at the knee joint. The knife carrier 96 receives its operative movement from a lever 146 fulcrumed upon the carrier 48 and connected by a link 148 to a second lever 150 fulcrumed in the standard 122 and carrying a cam roll 152 which engages a tappet cam 154 upon the shaft 124. The lever 132 is held in operative relation to its cam by a spring 156 and the lever 150 is held in operative relation to its cam by a spring 158. The starting and stopping of the machine may be controlled by a suitable clutch connected by a link 160 to a treadle 162.

It will be noted that the machine hereinabove described is very simple in its operation and very compact in its construction, and that it permits not only the convenient presentation of the work but also holds the work, when presented, in such position that the operator may watch the successive steps and check the operation of the machine if he observes that any of the steps are not being performed in a satisfactory manner. It will be noted further that the parts are locked in their operative positions, the molds being locked together by the engagement of the tooth 36 upon the treadle 32 with one of the teeth 38 of the ratchet plate 40, and the flange former being locked in its flange pressing position by the straightening of the toggle 7 8, 84.

In practice it is intended to use the machines in pairs so that the operator may leave the work in one of the machines under pressure while he is placing the work in the other machine.

- Electrical heating means is herein shown, this means being preferably to other means by reason ofthe fact that it can be controlled more readily by the operator. It will be noted that the heating means operates to heat both the molds and the flange former so that all of the parts ofthe upper which are shaped by the machine may be subjected to heat while under pressure, the application of heat not only facilitating the shaping operation but also insuring that the parts will set to shape.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end'of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside said means, and means for forming a sole attaching flange from said marginal portion having operative movement over said molding means and movable transversely to the di rection of its operative movement directly into and out of operative position within said projecting margin.

2. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion thereof projecting outside'said means, and eXpansible means for forming a flange from said projecting margin located when in inoperative position above said molding means and arranged to be moved into operative position within said projecting margin.

3. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, and means for forming an outturned flange from said projecting margin so arranged with respect to said molding means that by a movement along one dimension it is brought into operative position within said projecting margin and by a movement along another dimension it operates to form a flange.

l. In a machine of the class described, means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion thereof projecting outside of said means, and means for forming an outturned flange from said projecting margin comprising members, each of which is movable during the flange forming operation both bodily nd also about an axis within the member.

5. In a machine of the class described, means for shaping the heelend of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion thereof projecting outside of said means, and expansible means for forming a flange from said projecting margin comprising members having flange forming movements in two directions, one of said flange forming movements being a movemento'f said members relative to each other about points within said members near their rear ends,

6. In a machine of the class described, means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, and means for forming an outturned flange from said projecting margin comprising two members pivoted at their rear ends. 7 7. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion thereof projecting outside said means and expansible means for forming a flange from said projecting margin comprising members having flange forming movement in two directions, one of said flange forming movements of said members being relative to each other about a pivot near their rear ends;

8. In a machine of the'class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, and means for forming an outturned flange from said pro ecting margin comprlsmg two members having flange forming movement about a common pivotal point at their rear ends. 1

9. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, and means for forming an outturned flange from said projecting margin having flange forming movement in three direc tion-s, each of which is substantially normal to the part of the margin operated upon.

10. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, means for forming an outturned flange'from said projecting margin, comprising members each of which has flange forming movement in two directions, and means associated with said molding means and operating by reasonof the movement of said flange forming means in one direction to effect the flangeforming movement of said flange forming means in the other direction. 7

11. In a'machine of the classs decribed, the combination with means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, means for forming a flange from said projecting margin movable relatively to said moldingmeans along one dimension into and out of operative position and movable relatively to said molding means along another dimension to form a flange, andmeans connected to said molding means and engaged by said flange forming means when said flange forming means is in operative position whereby the flange forming movement of said flange forming means eflects an expansion of said means.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper arranged to leave a marginal portion of said upper projecting outside of said means, of flange forming means normally out of operative relation to said molding means and movable transversely to the direction of its operative movement into operative relation to said molding means, and a single means constructed to effect, by a continuous movement, the movement of said flange former into operative position and its operative flange forming movement.

13. In a machine of the class describedd means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper comprising a female mold having an edge over which a sole attaching flange may be turned, and a surface adjacent to said edge upon which said flange may be pressed out, expansible flange forming means operating to turn out a flange upon said female mold, and means for causing said flange forming means to perform a flange pressing operation.

14,. In a machine of the class described, means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper comprising a female mold having an edge over which a sole attaching flange may be turned, and a receding surface adjacent to said edge, and expansible flange forming means for forming an outturned flange having an inner face which lies substantially parallel to the receding surface of said female mold when said forming means is in expanded condition.

15. In a machine of the class described, means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper comprising a female mold having an edge over which a sole attaching flange may be turned, and a receding surface adjacent to said edge, expansible flange forming means having an inner surface shaped to cooperate with the receding surface of said female mold to turn the flange back out of the plane in which it lies in the finished shoe, and means for causing said flange forming means to perform a flange pressing operation.

16. In a machine of the class described,

means for shaping the heel end of a shoe upper comprising a female mold having an edge over which a sole attaching flange may be turned and a surface adjacent to said edge upon which said flange may be pressed out, flange forming means expansible during the flange forming operation from a position within said edge into a position in which it may press said flange out upon said surface, and means for causing said flange forming means to perform a flange pressing operation.

17. In a machine of the class described, means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper comprising a female mold having an edge over which a sole attaching flange may be turned and a receding surface adjacent to the edge, and flange forming means expansible from a position within saidedge into a position in which it may press said flange out upon said receding surface.

18. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper and means for forming an outturned flange upon said upper, of means for forming cuts or slits in the flange while the flange is being formed.

19. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper and means for turning out a flange upon said upper, of means guided in said flange forming means and acting upon the flange while it 18 being formed for forming slits or cuts in said flange at points of excessive strain.

20. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for molding the heel end of a shoe upper, and means for forming an outturned flange upon said upper, said means being constructed and arranged to retain said parts under pressure, of heat applying means so constructed and arranged that at the will of the operator heat may be applied either to said upper or to said flange or to both said upper and said flange while under pressure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS BROCK.

Witnesses:

H. DORSEY SPENCER, EMILE H. TARDIVEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

